


One More Time

by taxicab12



Series: more to me than you can dream [25]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: A little bit of angst, Bittersweet, Customer Service Voice, Gen, Nile’s birthday, Phone calls home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taxicab12/pseuds/taxicab12
Summary: The line ran three times before someone answered, and Nile had to steady herself against the porch railing, the flip phone shaking in her hand.“Hello?” The woman on the other end said.Hi Mom, Nile thought, but didn’t say.“Hi,” she forced a false cheer into her voice. “I’m Megan with Northeast Solar. I was wondering if you would be interested in switching your home to solar energy.”
Relationships: Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Nile Freeman & Nile Freeman's Mother
Series: more to me than you can dream [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878034
Comments: 14
Kudos: 94





	One More Time

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, it’s my birthday today and so I’m overthinking Nile’s birthday and instead of something happy this happened... anyway

The line ran three times before someone answered, and Nile had to steady herself against the porch railing, the flip phone shaking in her hand.

“Hello?” The woman on the other end said.

_ Hi Mom, _ Nile thought, but didn’t say. 

“Hi,” she forced a false cheer into her voice. “I’m Megan with Northeast Solar. I was wondering if you would be interested in switching your home to solar energy.”

Joe, sitting beside her, stifled a laugh, either at her choice of words or the customer service tone she’d mastered working fast food jobs in high school.

“Well, I live in an apartment, honey,” her mother said. “So, I think I’m all set.”

“Oh, thank you for letting me know. I’ll take you off our list.”

“Normally, I would’ve hung up by now. But your voice sounds just like my daughter’s, she passed a few months ago.” She sniffled just slightly.

“I’m so sorry,” Nile said, her hands shaking.

“Today’s her birthday, actually. I guess God thought I should get to hear her voice one more time.”

“I guess so,” she said.

“You have a wonderful day now, Megan.”

“You too, ma’am.”

The line went dead and the tears started. Joe stood, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“I just wanted to hear her voice one more time,” Nile said. “I didn’t even think about her hearing mine.”

“I know, I know,” he said, holding her head to his chest.

She held the phone out to him when he pulled away. “I can’t.”

He took it from her, pressing a soft kiss to her head, then snapped it in half.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Of course,” he said. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I think so.” She wiped away her tears. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Come on.” He put an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go get so ice cream.”

She laughed, still wiping her eyes. “Sounds good.”

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to the very nice telemarketer who I had to inform that I was a college student in a dorm and did not, in fact, need a chimney cleaning because I do not, in fact, own a chimney


End file.
